2023 Maple Month Week 1

And so we wait not so patiently for the next big sap run…

February may have given us the opportunity for huge early season Maple Syrup production, but March seems to be playing some funny games. The first weekend of Maple Month brought us over a foot of snow on Saturday. Skiers and snowmobilers are thrilled! We are too - it brings folks to the area and keeps our woods blanketed, prolonging our season. There is a term called ‘sugar snow’ when snowstorms can lead to a decent sap run. It didn’t break any records, but we experienced this over the weekend during the 32 degree snow. It helped us push toward nearly 900 gallons of Maple Syrup by Monday night.

So far all the syrup made has been a lovely, buttery Amber Rich. Dark fans continue to wait for the stronger stuff. Open hours began Saturday morning 3/4, but predictably it was a slow start due to the storm. Sunday was much busier with many customers enjoying the shop updates and maple popcorn. Thanks to those patient visitors that arrived early - we had our reverse osmosis go down for a repair. It’s always something on the farm! We’re thankful that CDL came down on a Sunday to make the fix and get us up and running by lunch.

We also continued our Surprise Syrup Box Giveaway through the weekend, and announced a winner - Congrats Betsy B! She’ll be getting a Quart, BB aged Flask, and a HHF Hat.

We are now in a cold cycle. The sap may be running south of us, but we are barely hitting the above freezing mark. We’re watching the weather closely as we move toward the weekend. Open hours this weekend are Saturday, March 11th and Sunday March 12th. We'll open every weekend in March and into April if the weather allows. Weather conditions always dictate whether we will be actively boiling.

maple tap count
7,000 Taps

**First Boil - February 13, 2023**
11 boiling days
**Total Sap Collected so far…**
48,185 Gallons
1.79% Sugar Average
46 Gal sap needed for 1 Gal syrup
**Maple Syrup Total as of 3/6**
883 Gallons
**Maple Grades**
Amber Rich

Now onto the cold weather projects! We’re working in the office on bookkeeping and marketing/sales. We’re out in the woods making repairs and inspecting lines when we can. We’re cleaning the evaporator and stacking firewood, anticipating the warm days ahead.

I can’t forget to mention that we are fine tuning plans for the upcoming Maple Weekend held on March 18th and 19th this year. Jump over to our event page for Sunday breakfast details.

ALSO - I highly encourage you to join our email newsletter community (entry form at bottom of webpage). This is our only guaranteed way of getting you all the latest info on our farm goods and upcoming events.